A Slight Misunderstanding
by Tsundere-Kun
Summary: While watching the episode known as "Tooth Fairy", a certain line of Gunther's made me think of this and how it could have happened. Other than that? No idea how to describe it.  Warning: Rated since I'm not sure shonen-ai  boyXboy  would qualify for K


Just to tell you all, this is my first time writing anything with these characters. So please understand if I mess them up, but please message/review with constructive criticism. I need it since I'm sure I messed up at least two of their personalities (if not more).

I'd like to ask anyone who even decides to look at this story for just a moment: when you watch Jane and the Dragon, do you see shonen-ai as well?

Also!  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters from Jane and the Dragon. The idea is owned by Martin Baynton, and the show by Weta Workshop in New Zealand and Nelvana Limited in Canada. See? Not me.

* * *

"You are both mad, I'm not a fairy!" Gunther protested, his expression turning sour as he gazed upon the giant green monstrosity that was Dragon, whose only response was to chuckle before taking off and proceeding to chase him all around the castle grounds. Upon passing the forge, the sounds of Smithy's hammer against metal that was most likely hundreds of degrees hotter than the squire had ever been in his life. A thought came to the dark-haired boy's mind at the loud noise. With a few quick steps, Gunther immediately swung around and behind the nearest pillar, kneeling as close to the ground as he could.

As he did so, he didn't notice that the sounds of the young blond's working had ceased momentarily. "So you're not a fairy?" A gentle voice wondered, slightly amused. "I never would've guessed that of you, Gunther."

"Smithy!" The apprentice knight spun around upon the balls of his feet, standing to face the other as he did so. "Wha-what are you talking about?"

Smithy shifted his weight onto his left foot as he stepped back, a small smile gracing his lips, and hammer in his opposite hand. "Didn't Dragon and Jane just say you were a tooth fairy?" Truth be told, he was trying not to laugh all that much.

With a hard glare and the foulest tone he could muster, Gunther crossed his arms across his chest. "No, I am not a fairy." A bit of silence fell over the two as the young blacksmith wondered what the other was going to say next, what with the way his gaze flattened while a smirk slowly formed upon his lips. "You, on the other hand...you are a fairy."

The look that appeared on Smithy's face at that statement was simply priceless in the light-skinned, dark-haired male's opinion. "...What do you mean? I'm not a tooth-"

Gunther shook his head. "Not a tooth fairy, no. I merely meant a fairy in the..." His smirk widened, a soft chuckle sounding from his being. "_other_ meaning of the word."

When the blond's head tilted in confusion, the darker one rose a hand and twirled it awkwardly a few times, causing the pair of sky blues to widen and a soft dusting of pink across his cheeks. "O-oh..." Smithy's gaze lowered in embarrassment. "How could you tell?"

"Not to offend you, but you try a bit to hard to be manly...working on seemingly random, pointless-" An overly loud cough halted his speech. "Ah, sorry about that." Gunther was about to continue when the two of them heard a soft, mournful melody drift towards their ears from the courtyard.

_**"...the bitter taste of tears I've cried...the emptiness of love denied...With all this pain I know not when...my heavy heart will love again..."**_

Black met questioning blue for a moment before they both understood just what it was they were accidentally listening to. "Is that...Jester?" Smithy wondered hesitantly.

Gunther's eyes sparked in knowing. "You would know his voice just be hearing that soft of a sound wouldn't you?" His tone contained a small hint that he knew more than he had said.

"You know the job of mocking others belongs to me, yes, Mr. Sunshine?" They both could easily hear the sarcasm laced upon the speaker's voice. "All know that honor is none but mine."

_Speak of the devil..._

The young male known to some as "Funny Hat" appeared around the corner, bowing low in a teasing gesture to the dark squire. In one hand of the puzzle-covered boy was his lute, the other hidden behind his back. "I thought I heard someone mention my name." He looked between the two, bells jingling all the while, stopping to stare in question at Gunther. "Clearly unusual for someone such as yourself to speak my name in normal conversation. And without my presence seems to give you cause for no hesitation."

Unfortunately, Smithy's face still had a bit of a blush across it, but the newest arrival had yet to notice it. "Jester, what was it you were singing about a little bit ago?"

"Hmm?" He paused for only a short moment, but the action was caught by the darkest gaze. "Ah, that. That...was just a ballade I'm composing for, for the festival in a few weeks." Jester's left foot rose slightly, light gray eyes fluttering from object to object, never going anywhere near either of the others before him. His hands and arms whirled in front of him as he spoke, his nerves almost showing.

Smithy and Gunther nodded in understanding, the blond stepping up and beside Jester. "Yes, well, I shall leave the two of you for I have just remembered that Rake had asked me to meet him and Pepper down in the kitchens today. Something about plans for the menu she'll be cooking for the festival." With that having been said, he hurried away; completely forgetting that he was still holding his hammer.

There were a few minutes in which neither of the two left behind said even one word to one another, but Jester had an odd expression on his face that Gunther couldn't help but wonder just what it was he was thinking about. "Mind not saying a word of this to anyone?" The blue boy throughly hoped the other would, but his hopes weren't very high considering the current status of their friendship. To his utter surprise Gunther nodded without any sort of remark. "...I was making up the festival bit, but clearly Smithy thought I was serious."

"Then why did you even mention it?" Gunther wondered, his tone doubtful of the reliability of Jester's earlier excuse. "Unless of course, there was a different reason you were singing about unrequited love?"

Despite his tanned skin, a soft light red dashed the tops of both of Jester's cheeks. "For someone like yourself you sure are quite the detective, Gunther."

Shaking his head, the paler of the two stepped closer and rested a hand atop his fellow mid-teenager's shoulder. "You needn't worry about anything, Jester. A fairy's friend knows him well."

"A...fairy?" Jester stepped back in speculation. "As in the-I am not a fairy!" He stated resolutely, although a bit loudly.

Gunther shrugged. "You prance around like one. As does Smithy...well, around you anyway. If I recall correctly the two of you had been practicing your dancing for the annual ball a month or so ago?"

Jester opened his mouth just as a strong gust of wind blew past them, throughly distracting the blond and causing a spark of freight within the other. With a dark mutter of "Dragon", Gunther immediately took of running for his life. Only momentarily did said large lizard pause to explain that he needed to catch the tooth fairy in order to fulfill Princess Lavinia's question of where Gunther's wings were if he was the tooth fairy. Strangely enough, it amused Jester greatly to hear anyone refer to Gunther as any type of "fairy", of the tooth variety or not.

The young son of gypsies turned and strode down the path before him, lightly running his fingers across the strings of his lute, murmurs of lyrics softly drifting from his lips. His gaze wandered from in front of him to above him to below him, accidentally bumping into none other than Jane.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Jester. I didn't mean to-"

Jester shook his head, bouncing slightly back and forth on his toes. "It's quite alright, Jane. I was simply on my way down to the kitchens." Now normally one would think he was going to start stuttering and losing his confidence as he usually did. However, ever since he and the rest of the castle had discovered that she and Gunther had a bit of an...emotional understanding, to put it lightly, he had realized it was not she but someone else that owned his affections. He offered a hand to her without even the slightest bit of embarrassment. "Would you like to accompany me? Or perhaps you'd rather go find Gunther?"

The redhead smiled briefly before continuing on her way, a simple "see you later" as a word of parting to the boy of two years her senior.

A tap upon his shoulder caused Jester to turn around to face none other than a brunette known as Rake. "Would you mind coming with me, Jester?" Brown eyes looked over his friend's overall appearance and current state slowly as the other nodded his consent to do as he was asked. "How've you been anyway?"

"Although things for some have been going fairly well, other are having a bit more trouble if I should tell."

Rake laughed lightly. "Having fun coming up with rhymes then? Or are you having trouble?"

"Rhyming is easy, although it's life that doth not please me..." Stormy eyes gazed back sadly as he turned to walk along side the court's royal gardener. "Though words I heard earlier make me wonder what's for supper, and why you're not with Smithy and Pepper."

The two of them began making their way towards the kitchens, although once they arrived, Pepper almost immediately dragged Rake back outside; her reasoning being she wanted help choosing the right vegetables for breakfast the next morning. That left only a pair of males who take part in the annual dance contests.

"So, what were you and Gunther talking about that you mentioned me?" Jester wondered. "And did you happen to hear he's a tooth fairy?" _Ah, that was a stupid rhyme..._

Smithy nodded. "I did hear that, yes." His gaze didn't go anywhere near the rather unusual eyes of the court's jester, wondering if he had to answer the first question. He got his response quite quickly, for Jester remained silent and would until he got what he deemed to be good enough of an answer to both his inquires. "And we were talking about...fairies."

"Fairies? That makes as much sense as if he were to talk to me about berries." Inwardly he cringed, mentally scolding himself for making such stupid rhymes. "Unless he meant it in a way that isn't always pleasant."

_Is he trying to ask if we were talking about if one of us like males? Or maybe he thinks we think he does?_ Removing the glove from his right hand, Smithy began to subconsciously knead it in between his fingers. "You mean-I-ac-actually, it was because of me that your name came up." The blush from earlier returned to the blacksmith's cheeks, although it steadily darkened as he continued on. "You see, Gunther sort of...well, asked me if I had a crush on anyone, no matter their gender. And he mentioned you to sort of...mock me."

"So I am not the object of either of yours' affections?" Jester wondered, a slight uneasiness to his voice, although it was barely noticeable. "I must admit that means I must face rejection." As soon as the words left his mouth both his hands flashed up to cover it, the entirety of Jester's face turning a nice shade of bright red. "What I mean to say is, I just meant...I apologize, Smithy, if my words cause you any hassle. I need not your pity nor would I prefer to be the cause of any unnecessary misery."

This cause Smithy's expression to darken a bit in more ways than one. The first being the shade of his face, while the other being his mood. "That's not what I meant to say at all, Jester. Gunther merely asked if I liked you. You know, like him and-"

"Yes, I quite understand what it is you meant, you see. But I don't need reassurance that the two of you have no feelings for me." Jester turned away and took a few steps as if he was going to leave the kitchen. "In all seriousness Jethro, you and I both know that you need not put on a show merely for the comfort of a lowly court jester such as-" The feeling of a gentle hand resting upon both his shoulders made Jester freeze where he stood, his entire body heating up, for not once had his secret crush chosen to willingly get so close to him.

"How can I put this in the easiest way...?"

Jester turned, all signs of feeling temporarily gone from his face. "Alright, I've had enough beating around the bush or rhyming, and apologize in advance if I do rhyme without trying, being near you quickens my heart, and keeps my thought process from being able to start, but I am going to tell you once and for all, that it is for only you that I have fallen."

"Wh...what?"

"I care very much for you, Smithy, and it'd give me much pleasure if you'd tell me: do I have a chance with thee?" This time, much to Jester's dislike, his embarrassment shown clearly upon his face that even the slowest of folk would be able to tell. "I'm sorry I continue to rhyme, it's just difficult to think clearly at this time. Unlike when I try to, now it's purely due to nerves, I just get quite flustered when I try to speak in situations such as this. I-"

The blond metal worker cut off the babbling with the only thing he could think of that would work well: a short, chaste kiss to silence the constant chatter of his friend. Both of their faces shown brightly, and their gazes met after Smithy stepped back; still keeping in contact with the blue clad male. "I care for you as well, Jester. Do I want to ask why you rhyme more when you're nervous?"

"Default actions. I can't think as coherently if the one who owns my affections is near me."

_Alright._ Smithy leaned in once more, paused for a moment just centimeters from making contact, and smiled. "Do I have your consent to continue, oh great jester of the royal court?" At a nod from the puzzle-themed boy, the blacksmith finished what he had begun.


End file.
